


Summer Rain

by ideserveyou



Category: Arthur of the Britons
Genre: Angst, Horse Racing, M/M, Nipples, Pre-Canon, Rain, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-15
Updated: 2013-11-15
Packaged: 2018-01-01 16:13:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1045906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideserveyou/pseuds/ideserveyou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Llud has punished Arthur and Kai for being inconsiderate. On their way home, they get caught in a thunderstorm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer Rain

_A man on a horse is worth ten on foot._

Arthur can’t get those words of Llud’s out of his mind as he plods along the dusty track.

 _A man on a horse is worth ten on foot_...

Here are two men on foot, and very tired feet they already are, with several miles behind them, and a long way still to go in the late summer heat.

Arthur blinks the sweat out of his eyes, and shifts his heavy saddlebag from one shoulder to the other – a pointless exercise, since both shoulders are equally sore. He squints up at the sun: too bright. Everything is too bright: the sky bleached of colour overhead, bleached grasses on the hills on either side, white dust underfoot.

Kai is walking too far ahead to speak to now, even supposing Arthur wished to speak to him, which he does not. It’s irksome to be the one left behind, but Arthur is stubbornly determined not to call Kai, and ask him to wait.

Especially since this whole miserable situation is Kai’s fault.

Until this morning, all had gone smoothly: no more than one of their usual inspection tours of the villages north of their own, taking advantage of the quiet time while the Saxons would be busy with their harvest, and unlikely to attack. Arthur will soon take full command of his own tribe – perhaps as soon as next summer – and Llud has got into the habit of taking Arthur and Kai with him on his diplomatic travels.

‘There’s a lot to learn about being a leader,’ Llud had said, ‘and not all of your enemies will be in those Saxon camps. Best you get to know your fellow chieftains. And they you.’

He hadn’t said how much mead would be involved in this process, and last night had been no exception to that rule.

There had been a few anxious moments during the feast, when Arthur – who thought the village defences poorly designed – had ventured to offer a suggestion as to how they might be improved. His only answer had been an uncomfortable silence, followed by a few mutterings from the greybeards at the table, mutterings in which the word ‘puppy’ had been all too audible. Llud’s silver tongue had somehow smoothed things over, and they all had shaken hands, and drunk to each other, and drunk to each other some more, and then it was time for bed.

Llud, given a place in the longhouse, had no doubt simply lain himself down, and slept soundly, as he always did.

But Arthur and Kai were directed to the guest-hut, which was stuffy, and smelt strongly of goat. Arthur had rolled and fidgeted on his lumpy palliasse, too hot to sleep; his temples throbbing, and his hair sticky with sweat.

Beside him – too close for comfort, yet not close enough – Kai had sighed, and scratched, and finally sat up and stripped off every stitch of clothing, and flung himself down on his front. His breathing had eased into a steady rhythm, and Arthur had been left wakeful, trying not to look…

He’d dropped into an uneasy doze, and woken before dawn, his head still aching.

‘Good! You’ve woken up at last,’ Kai said from beside him. ‘I’m not wasting any more time trying to sleep in this flea-pit. I need some fresh air.’ He prodded Arthur in the ribs. ‘Are you coming?’

Despite the early hour, it was already warm and humid, even outside the hut – but still better than inside.

Kai’s horse whickered a greeting from beside the hitching-rail, and Kai grinned. ‘How about we give the horses some fresh air too?’

‘What do you mean?’ Arthur’s wits felt sluggish; his tongue heavy in his mouth.

‘A race.’

Arthur shook his head. ‘We shouldn’t. It’s too hot for the horses. Llud wouldn’t approve.’

‘Llud need never know.’ Kai was already untying his horse’s bridle. ‘Come on, I’ll wager you. We’ll ride bareback. I reckon we can be over that hill and back, well before anyone else is awake. Especially after all the mead that got drunk last night.’  
He flashed Arthur a broad grin.

Somehow – perhaps because he was dazzled by that smile, or perhaps because it was easier than telling Kai what he was really thinking – Arthur found himself leading his horse quietly out of the village; mounting; giving the word for the off.

At first it was glorious: the wind in his hair, the thunder of hooves, the pleasure of leaving care and responsibility behind.

They careered up the hill, neck and neck, heading for the cairn at its summit: neither one gaining an advantage, neither giving ground.

Neck and neck, they pounded down the slope again, but Kai began to draw slightly ahead, his blond hair flying, his lean body at one with the movements of his steed.

Arthur kicked his horse harder and harder, urging it on in pursuit, until foam flew from its muzzle, and its back and sides were drenched in sweat.

He was gaining – grimly determined not to let Kai win – when some way ahead he saw a familiar figure standing by the track.

With a sick twisting in his stomach, he reined in his horse; just ahead, he could see Kai doing the same.

Side by side they pulled to a sliding, rearing halt, looking down into Llud’s furious face.

‘What in the gods’ name d’you think you’re doing? This is no time and no weather to be racing these poor beasts. Get down. Get down _now_.’

Shamefaced and sweating, they stood beside their blown, snorting mounts, unable to think of anything to say in their own defence.

Llud made them lead the horses slowly back to the village; stood glowering at them as they fetched water for the horses, and wiped down and groomed and combed and polished, until all was done to his satisfaction.

He said no more about it as they breakfasted and made their farewells. But when Arthur and Kai came out of the guest-hut, and went to tie the packed saddlebags behind their saddles, Llud shook his head. ‘No. You two are walking home.’

Arthur looked up at the blazing sun. ‘But –’

Llud took their horses by the reins. ‘I _said_ , you two are walking home. It’ll teach you the value of a horse, which you seem to have forgotten.’

 _A man on a horse is worth ten on foot_.

Arthur can’t think of those words without feeling a cold, sour anger. Against Kai, whose idea it was to race in the first place; against himself, for being so easily led against his own judgement; against Llud, for condemning them to this miserable plod.

It irked Arthur even more that Kai didn’t seem to mind their punishment one bit. He’d just stood there, smiling, as Llud led their mounts away to where his own horse was tethered.

‘Oh, cheer up, Arthur, he’s right, you know. Llud’s always right. We did wrong, we were fairly caught and fairly punished.’ Kai hefted his bag, and set off. ‘One good thing,’ he called back over his shoulder. ‘He won’t be chiding us all the way home. By the time we get there, his anger will have cooled.’

‘Unlike mine,’ Arthur mutters, not loud enough for Kai to hear.

Kai’s legs are longer. Most days, he matches his pace to Arthur’s, but today he strides ahead. It’s as if Arthur’s invisible; as if Kai’s forgotten about him completely. Perhaps his mind’s on other things.

Like that red-headed girl in the hall last night. Everyone in the place must have seen the way she was looking at Kai. And there are two or three other pretty girls in the village at home who look at him the same way.

The way Arthur would look at him – only not where anyone else could see.

Arthur grinds his teeth with frustration, and trudges on.

By noon, the heat’s unbearable, and both of them are sweating as hard as their horses were this morning; Kai is plodding along more slowly now, but Arthur still can’t quite draw level with him.

He’s about to swallow his pride – call out, and ask Kai to wait – when Kai turns aside into the shade of a gnarled oak tree beside the road, drops his luggage, and casts himself full-length on the dusty grass.

Thunder rumbles faintly in the distance.

‘We’d better keep going.’ Arthur glances anxiously at the heavy grey clouds looming on the horizon. ‘Looks as though that storm will catch us before we reach home.’

‘Mmm? … Oh, yes, yes, I expect you’re right.’ Kai stares up into the branches above him. ‘Certainly.’

‘Kai, did you even hear what I said?’

‘Of course I did.’

‘Well, what did I just say?’

‘You said… you said…’ Kai shrugs his shoulders, and grins. ‘Oh, alright, you win. I have no idea what you said.’

‘Sometimes I wonder why I bother saying anything at all.’ Arthur frowns. ‘It might have been important.’

Kai’s grin grows wider and more impudent. ‘But it wasn’t.’

‘How do you know?’ Arthur kicks at a loose stone, and sends it flying over the grass, hitting Kai on the elbow.

Kai doesn’t even blink. ‘Little brother, if it had been important, for certain I would have heard you. Even if I did happen to be thinking of something else.’

‘Of a girl, for instance?’ Arthur hadn’t meant his voice to sound so sharp.

Kai doesn’t answer. He picks up a twig and studies it intently.

The leaves above them stir and rustle. Arthur turns his face to the breeze, but the air is hot and dry, and brings little relief from the stifling heat. Forcing himself to stay on his feet, he draws his forearm across his aching brow.

Kai is still gazing at the oak twig as though it holds the secret to life itself.

There is another rumble of thunder, closer this time.

‘Well? Are you coming?’ Arthur snaps.

Kai tilts his head. ‘Why are you in such a rush?’

‘I’m not in a rush. I just –’

Kai frowns, and flings the twig into the undergrowth. Ignoring the hand that Arthur was holding out to him, he scrambles to his feet, hefts his bag and strides off down the track.

‘Kai, wait a moment.’

‘What for?’ Kai doesn’t turn his head. ‘You were the one in a hurry to set off.’

Arthur has to run to catch up.

Lightning flickers in the sky. As Llud taught them long ago – when both were small boys, and one was afraid of the storm – Arthur begins to count: ‘ _One longboat, two longboats_ …’

Kai stops, and turns back to face him. ‘ _Three longboats, four_ –’ Kai’s voice is drowned by the thunder.

Kai smiles; the first fat drops of rain raise little puffs of dust, and Arthur’s impatience blows away with them in the freshening wind. He feels as though a heavy weight has been lifted from him. What does it matter, after all, if they get wet?

‘I’m sorry,’ they both say at the same moment.

Kai laughs.

Arthur lays a hand on Kai’s arm. ‘It was my fault. I was just afraid of –’

‘Never mind,’ Kai says. ‘It’s not important. We’ve just been parched for too long. And this – this feels good. So good.’ He shakes his head, glistening drops flying from his damp hair; tilts his head back, to let the rain fall on his face.

The sky is dark with clouds, but Kai shines brighter than any sun.

‘Here, give me that,’ Kai says. He snatches Arthur’s pack out of his hand and dumps it at the side of the road, along with his own. ‘Let’s have a rest after all. We’ve earned it.’

Arthur laughs, and savours the small cool caresses of the raindrops on his hot forehead; watches as the rain comes down harder, watches it trickle down the curve of Kai’s throat, watches Kai’s white linen shirt darken with the water, watches the fabric cling to Kai’s cold-hardened nipples…

Watches Kai, watching him.

It’s really raining now, the water coming down like a curtain, and Arthur’s clothes are sodden, sticking uncomfortably to him, and he’s still so hot…

He strips off his tunic, and drapes it over a convenient branch.

Kai drags his shirt off, and flings it casually aside; gives Arthur another of those dazzling smiles, then kicks off his boots, and wriggles awkwardly out of his soaked breeches, to stand cheerfully in the middle of the road, dripping wet and stark naked.

Arthur can only stand and stare.

‘What are you waiting for?’ There’s a challenge in Kai’s twinkling eyes. ‘Come on, Arthur, there’s nobody here to see. No sane person would be out on the road in this weather.’

‘You said it.’

Kai sticks out his tongue at Arthur. ‘Takes one to know one.’

Arthur sits down on the bank at the side of the road, and takes off his boots and breeches. The dead grasses prickle uncomfortably against his bare skin.

He holds out a hand, and this time, Kai takes it; hauls Arthur to his feet, pulls him in, and holds him close.

Arthur’s back and shoulders are growing chilled from the relentless rain; but Kai’s body against his own is warm, so warm…

Arthur puts his arms around Kai’s waist, and holds on, feeling the warmth growing between them. He’s aware that he’s hard – has been, ever since he caught that first glimpse of nipple through wet fabric – and that Kai is harder still. Once, a long time ago, before it began to rain, Arthur would have found this unthinkably embarrassing.

But here on the wet, deserted road, in the middle of nowhere, with the thunder rolling all around them, he has to agree with Kai: this feels good.

And when Kai moves his hips, just a little, so that their wet cocks slide against each other, it feels better still.

‘Kai…’

‘Ssshh.’ Kai lays a finger on Arthur’s lips. ‘Don’t say anything. Just –’

Arthur tries to speak again, and this time Kai silences him with a kiss: a dripping wet, fierce, joyful kiss that lasts for hours, and yet not long enough.

When they stop to draw breath, Arthur finds that he’s forgotten utterly what he was going to say.

So he says nothing; simply puts his arms around Kai and surrenders to the moment, to the heat between his thighs, to the sweet, sure touches of Kai’s hands.

He nuzzles into the wet curve of Kai’s shoulder, tasting the salt of his sweat, wondering what to do next, whether Kai will like it if he ...

Kai makes a small appreciative sound, and Arthur takes courage: kisses his way along Kai’s collarbone to the hollow of his throat, where the pulse beats strong and quick under the soft skin.

Arthur’s own heart is pounding too.

Those wet nipples are standing proud, so tempting ... Arthur kisses first one, and then the other, feeling Kai’s breathing quicken.

A quick glance upwards shows him that Kai is indeed, liking this very much – if the rock-hardness of Kai’s prick were not already sufficient proof.

Kai grins. ‘Don’t stop now, you’re just getting the hang of this.’

Arthur grins back, and bends his head to take one hard nipple into his mouth, licking tentatively at the little bud of flesh.

Kai thrusts against him; slides his hands down to grip Arthur’s arse, and squeeze.

Arthur hears himself moan. He can’t help it. He’s never felt like this, never imagined – never dared to let himself think –

Next moment Kai takes him in hand, and Arthur can no longer think at all.

‘Arthur,’ Kai whispers in his ear. ‘My Arthur...’

If he says anything else, Arthur doesn’t hear.

He licks once more at Kai’s nipple, and Kai shivers, and gasps, and comes warm and wet on Arthur’s belly, and Arthur gives in to his own release, with a wordless cry.

They let the rain wash them clean; and if there are tears, the rain washes them away too, and nobody is any the wiser.

Arthur begins to shiver; Kai pulls him close again. ‘You’re as cold as a fish,’ he says. ‘Come on, let’s go home.’

Struggling back into wet breeches, Arthur says ruefully: ‘It would be so much simpler if we could just go home naked.’

Kai laughs uproariously. ‘Yes, but can you imagine what Llud would say if we did?’

‘Something about a man in breeches being worth two unclothed savages, I should think.’ Arthur reaches for his boots.

‘Unclothed savages,’ Kai says thoughtfully. ‘Yes. I like the sound of that. But we’d better not tell Llud that his punishment ended up being more of a reward. We’ll have to think up a good story about how hard the journey was, and why it’s taken us so long.’

‘And how wet we got in all that rain.’ Arthur scrambles to his feet. ‘Which at least has the merit of being true.’

‘We got wet all over,’ Kai solemnly agrees. Then he snorts. ‘Not just with rain.’

‘Llud doesn’t need to know _that_ much truth... Kai?’

‘Mmm?’

Arthur stares up at the tree above them, feeling his face grow hot. ‘How did you know... that I’d want to... you know?’

‘I heard you. Loud and clear.’

The sun breaks through the edge of the cloud, sparkling on the wet branches.

‘But I didn’t say anything.’

Kai slings an arm affectionately around Arthur’s shoulders. ‘Didn’t I tell you I’d hear you for certain, if it was important? Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I bother saying anything at all. Now come on, pick up that bag and let’s get going. We’d better get home before any more of those storm clouds catch up with us.’

His smile is wider and brighter than ever.

Arthur shoulders his burden, and side by side they set off down the muddy track towards home.

 _A man on a horse is worth ten on foot_.

But sometimes, if he’s the right man, one man is worth more than all the cavalry in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to trepkos for expert and very patient beta-reading! If you love this fandom, come and join us on the livejournal arthur_britons community.


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